英語播客 A Cup of English A month before we fly.

Have you ever lost something, and looked and looked for it? I've been doing that lately. My oldest son had a PSP and an iPod touch. I say had, because he doesn't have them anymore. They have disappeared, vanished, evaporated. I have looked everywhere. We have all wracked our brains. That means to think and think hard to try and reach a conclusion. Sometimes the grey matter just doesn't work well. The grey matter is, of course, the brain. I tend to get forgetful when I am busy, and when there is a lot on my mind. I often forget something at the supermarket even if I take a list with me. Have you ever walked into a room to get something, and forgotten why you went there? Or perhaps you've met someone on the street who you know, but if you need to introduce them to someone, you forget their name. That too has happened to me. We call these incidences 'senior moments'. It is as if we are very old already. Mind you, a lot of elderly people I know have great memories. Apparently, your memory is like a muscle: the more you use it, the better it works. My mother does sudoku and crosswords to keep her memory sharp; perhaps I should do something like that. Exercise is great for the memory aswell. It forces oxygen rich blood into the brain, and helps you focus, and feel more 'in the moment'. We all laugh about the times we have looked for our sun glasses, and realized that they are on our heads. The other day, I was talking on my cell phone and tidying up in the kitchen at the same time. I wanted to charge my phone, but for the life of me, I couldn't find it. It was only when I finished my conversation and hung up, that I realized that I had been talking on the cell phone, so, of course, I hadn't been able to find it. It's just like the funny story of the busy thief, who went into a bank at lunch time to rob it. His head was covered, but unfortunately for him, he had forgotten to take off his name tag from his place of work. So he was instantly recognized. Oops! I think he needs to do some sudoku too.

Grammar notes.

Useful expressions: to wrack my brains, for the life of me, mind you, unfortunately for ( a person).

1. I wracked my brains to figure out where I had left my keys.

2. For the life of me, I don't know where I put my wallet.

3. London is such a thrilling place to be; mind you, it is very expensive.

4. The student studied for the exam. Unfortunately for him, he had forgotten to memorize the vocabulary.